How does one define “work”, in a physics context?

Question

I read somewhere – a while ago – that energy was required for any matter to “do work”. Is there a neat way to define what work means, in this sense?

In: 2

Answer 1

Work is simply just the change in energy of a system.

– When you lift an object, you are giving it potential energy. You have done work on the object in lifting it

– When you slide or drag an object, you are giving it kinetic energy. Friction is doing work by taking kinetic energy away in slowing it/impeding it

– When you turn on your game boy color to pay pokemon yellow, the batteries are doing work in moving electrons from the negative terminal to the positive terminal

Just a few examples